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First an important note: Some states do not allow highway licensing of any motorcycle that did not come street legal from the factory. I know this is the case for California, Washington State, New York, and Florida. California justifies this with the claim that motorcycles sold "off-highway only" do not conform to regulations governed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). I don't know how other states justify this. However, in CA, people have reported success in street licensing "off-highway only" motorcycles that have the correct emissions compliance sticker on them. Another thing I've heard about doing in CA is to reclassify the bike as a custom vehicle. This allows highway licensing even if the bike does not have proper emissions compliance. I don't know the details, but it may be something to look into if you really want that CA plate. In any case, be sure to check with your motor vehicle department before setting out to buy an "off-highway only" bike with an intent to street license it. One way to save some time and money when doing a dual sport conversion is to purchase a Dual Sport Kit (DSK). Less a speedometer, a set of mirrors, and a set of DOT tires, DSK's come with everything needed to get a bike up to code. However, some states do not require much equipment so it might be beneficial to find out exactly what is necessary before purchasing one. That can be done by researching the vehicle code either online (most motor vehicle departments have a web site) or at a local library. Alternatively, it may be possible to obtain that information from the motor vehicle office if, with a little luck, a knowledgeable clerk can be found who is willing to help. If the vehicle code requires only a mirror and a brake light, then it would not be cost effective to buy a kit. There are several DSK brands out there. The ElectroSport Dakar and the Baja Designs are popular. A relatively new maker is Trick Dual Sport. Their kits come highly recommended. Baja Designs sells all their components separately so if only a few odds and ends are needed, they're a good source. Some states require tires that are Department of Transportation (DOT) approved. There are lots of full knobby DOT dirt bike tires out there. If they are, they will say so on the side and that's what an inspector will look for. Some dirt bikes come with DOT knobbies from the factory, but if yours does not have them, they're easy to find and any motorcycle shop salesman will know what you are talking about. The Pirelli MT-21 is a DOT knobby that I've found to work well off-road. Another DOT knobby with reported good off-road performance is the Kenda K760 Trakmaster II and they're inexpensive. I've also heard good things about the Dunlop D606 DOT knobby. Some dirt bikes come with speedometers even though they are sold "off-highway only". Otherwise, it is possible to adapt one from another bike (usually obtained from a wrecking yard) or purchase a mechanical unit that satisfies the "non-resetable" odometer requirement some states have. Baja Designs sells a non-resetable mechanical unit that's not too expensive. It may be possible to get by with an after-market electronic speedometer such as the Trail Tech Endurance. ICO has recently released the Dual Sport as well as the Dual Sport VRL speedometers that are more expensive, but offer more and better features for dual sport use. Also see the Inexpensive Speedometer topic listed in this section for a low cost solution that may work well. Mirrors that can fold out of the way are most desirable. They tend to get whacked pretty good when riding off-road so the folding ones are less trouble. Four Strokes Only sells a folding mirror (shown at the top of the page). They do require mirror perches and Four Strokes Only sells those too (shown further down on the page). The Acerbis and UFO plastic folding mirrors are most compact and easy to mount (shown at the bottom of the page), but they don't work worth a crap. They vibrate pretty bad making things too blurry to see, but if you don't care about function and just want something innocuous to satisfy the vehicle code, they're a good option. You don't have to use folding mirrors and an inexpensive way to go is with a standard screw-in mirror. Chaparral also sells a folding mirror which is pretty much the same as what Four Strokes Only sells. When registering a new bike for the first time or a used bike with a new owner, some kind of proof of ownership is required. Most states can register vehicles for off-highway use only and provide title certificates (pink slips) in the process so if the seller has one of those, you're in good shape. If there is no pink slip, a Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) is normally adequate as long it has been filled out and signed properly by all previous owners. An MSO is a certificate the factory ships with a new bike to record ownership. If neither of these are available, it will be difficult to get the bike registered. It is possible to obtain a title without any proof of ownership, but it can be a real pain. It's best to make sure an MSO or pink slip is available whenever buying a new or used bike with any intent to register it. Once all the equipment has been brought up to code and proof of ownership is in-hand, all that is usually required is an inspection by the motor vehicle department (and/or one of its authorized agents) for hopefully an otherwise uneventful highway registration. Desk clerks don't often see this type of registration and don't always know the correct procedure in licensing a vehicle that was not originally manufactured street legal and has never had a highway license. Some confusion on the clerk's part will likely be encountered. Be prepared to spend more than the usual amount of time at the office. Hopefully, you won't get some kind of run-around requiring more than one trip. Of all the dual sport conversions I've done, the only one that did not result in some amount of confusion at the desk was the last one. I was lucky enough to get a managing clerk who knew the correct procedure. If you do run into problems, don't give up. Sometimes you'll come across a lazy clerk who would rather say you can't license the bike than spend the time finding the procedure. Try another office or try another clerk on another day. One final note; registering a motorcycle for the highway that was not originally manufactured street legal and has never had a highway license is not the same as dual registration. Some states (like California) will allow a vehicle to be registered both as a highway vehicle and as an off-highway vehicle. There is no reason to do this unless you like giving your money to the government. As far as I know, a dirt bike with a license plate can go anywhere a dirt bike with an off-highway sticker can. Unless you know for a fact that your state's off-highway fund is actually being used to maintain its off-highway recreation areas (which is generally not the case), don't pay for any kind of off-highway registration. If a clerk asks about dual registration or off-highway registration, say you don't need it. One caveat about this, I've heard BLM rangers in CA are very sticky about equipment violations for bikes with only a license plate and no green sticker. In that case, when going off-road in CA, it might be a good idea to get that off-highway sticker, or at least make sure your bike is fully up to code first. |